AS WITHIN, SO WITHOUT. NO MUD, NO LOTUS. QUESTIONS FOR THE PERPLEXED.

“People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.”
~ Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wave in the Mind

“Most of us were conditioned to be nice rather than real, accommodating rather than authentic, and adaptive rather than assertive.”
~ James Hollis, Jungian analyst

It breaks my heart that wars rage in Ukraine, in Gaza, and in sub-Saharan Africa. It breaks my heart that hatred, racism, sexism, and religious persecution are on the increase across the so-called developed nations of the west. It breaks my heart that so many of my friends and fellow Americans seem to be fine with dangerously autocratic leadership and with their chosen politicians breaking the law. And it breaks my heart that all of this is happening at a time when we need all of our resources, intellectual, economic, business, and government to focus on the huge impending threat of climate crisis.

I have no doubt that it breaks yours as well if you are a reader of this blog. The question is, what do those of us on a spiritual pathway do? How do we square a spiritual desire for peace with the relentless attacks on innocent humans by Russia and Israel (and how to square a desire to see the Israeli state survive with the carnage in Gaza as well as the hardened absolutist views on all sides of the issue)? Similar questions arise for most of the issues facing us.

Many of us on a spiritual pathway have come to believe that we must never behave destructively or unkindly toward anyone or anything; that if we are spiritually in tune, there will be no dissonance, only harmony. As we are seeing with the current political dynamics particularly in the US but also elsewhere, destructive patterns exist aplenty. There are very real threats to the concepts of freedom and democracy present in the current dynamics, and large numbers of people have decided that those who would bring autocratic leadership offer them the kind of existence they really desire. In many ways, we are in the mud, wondering how to manifest the lotus.

If the response is to always be nice, accommodating, or adaptive in the face of destructive patterns, then we fail spiritually. We are here to first realize our spiritual nature and the power which resides in that nature and then to engage what is in our path, utilizing our spiritual power as compassion – the fullest expression of Truth. Compassion is rarely nice, often kind, and sometimes confrontational in the face of destructive energy, which arises from the false belief in separation. Compassion stands up for love, truth, and power – its expression is spiritual warriorship. To be a spiritual warrior is to defend what is essential to defend, to act in accordance with one’s highest values and to stand for what is right without being attached to our own version of what is right.

“When we find ourselves in a place of discomfort and fear, we’ll find that we want to blame, to take sides, to stand our ground. We feel we must have some resolution. For the warrior, ‘right’ is as extreme a view as ‘wrong.’ They both block our innate wisdom.”
~ Pema Chödrön

“If we find ourselves in doubt that we’re up to being a warrior-in-training, we can contemplate this question: ‘Do I prefer to grow up and relate to life directly, or do I choose to live and die in fear?’”
~ Pema Chödrön, Comfortable With Uncertainty

Some see the entire political/economic/social systems as corrupt and feel that only a great disruption can alter the course of society. These people usually minimize the consequences of that disruption and, candidly, see themselves as risking little in upsetting the system. There is rarely compassion in such a viewpoint. Much or most of this energy is driven by anger and unhealed individual and collective shadow. The failure to express true compassion is due to the prevalence of shadow in a person or group.

“There is an awful lot of anger in the world, and in me, and there is a real need to be creative with it, rather than destructive.”
~ Alice Walker

The question, as always, is how to move through to a greater possibility without causing unnecessary pain. This is especially difficult when we cannot agree what that greater possibility looks like. For most, it takes the form of trying to from power those who have a different worldview than “we” do – a conquest by ballot (or otherwise) if you will. If I cannot abide living in the world you describe and you cannot abide living in the world that I describe, what are we to do, especially if we each see our view as too important to compromise? And when compromise is seen as defeat or as immoral, how do we move forward?

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have
the life that is waiting for us.
The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.
If we fix on the old, we get stuck.
When we hang onto any form, we are in danger of putrefaction.
Hell is life drying up.
The Hoarder, the one in us that wants to keep, to hold on, must be killed.
If we are hanging onto the form now, we’re not going to have the form next.
You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.
Destruction before creation.”
~ Joseph Campbell. “A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living.”

I don’t see a lot of willingness to give up the life we are living, do you? We are in a time where whole system changes are necessary to alter the course of human destiny toward a sustainable future. This will take both courage and a willingness to change and let go of some of our own sacred cows.

Often, the only alternative offered in spiritual circles is to withdraw, show no opposition to what is unfolding, maybe refusing to participate or deciding to vote for candidates with no chance of being elected based on a principle that one values. But such a choice does have consequences, and are we not accountable for the results of our choices?

If my choice is to vote or to abstain so that a disruption will occur and do real harm to many people, whether I am included or not, am I in integrity? Is it spiritually sound? Is it different than walking past a person who has just fallen without offering some assistance and instead, simply saying a prayer?

How do we come to terms with the realization that compassion is the highest expression of a spiritual life AND that true compassion can be confrontational, even combative? How do we develop the required healthy self-concept which allows us to live a truly authentic life from a place of love, compassion, and engagement? How often do our worldviews demand that others make a sacrifice or relinquish their worldview so that our desires can manifest?

So, by all means pray and pray ceaselessly. Pray to know what wants to happen by means of you. But act in accordance with your prayers. Be open to finding a way forward which differs from the viewpoint which you currently hold, but which does not stray from a course of true compassion. If there is a paradox in that idea, does that surprise or perplex you? Here is a quote that is 127 years old:

“We are born into a strange time—a time that tries men’s souls. Bewilderment and fear hold many; change and uncertainty stalk through the land—all lands. Those who keep their courage up and go serenely on are coming through in a way that those who weaken or lie down cannot know. But to do this many lives need help—real concrete help….There is something in the universe that responds to intrepid thinking. The POWER that holds and that moves the stars in their courses sustains, illumines, and fights for the brave and the upright. Courage has power and magic in it. Faith and hope and courage are great producers—we cannot fail if we live always in the brave and cheerful attitude of mind and heart. He alone fails who gives up and lies down. To open ourselves to this sustaining POWER, to live continually under its guidance, this is our part. Those of us who do our part will keep free from fear, and therefore from a weakening, corroding worry.…”

~ Ralph Waldo Trine (1897)

As always, your comments are welcomed.

Copyright 2024 – Jim Lockard